Houston gets its 30th victory
Kansas tops Iowa St., reaches Big 12 Final
FORT WORTH — Marcus Sasser scored 30 points and top-ranked Houston got its 30th win of the season, 60-46 over East Carolina in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday.
The Cougars (30-2), a sure-bet No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, have back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time since their Phi Slama Jama era. Houston made three consecutive Final Four appearances from 1982-84, and was national runner-up in back-to-back seasons — winning 31 games in 1982-83 and 32 the next season.
BIG 12: In Kansas City, Mo., Jalen Wilson had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Gradey Dick made a couple of crucial baskets during a second-half run that gave No. 3 Kansas control, and the third-ranked Jayhawks (276) beat Iowa State 71-58 to reach the title game.
The Jayhawks were once again without Hall of Fame coach Bill Self, who is recovering after a hospital trip Wednesday night for what doctors with the University of Kansas Health System would only call “a standard procedure.” Longtime assistant Norm Roberts, serving as the acting coach, said Self addressed the Jayhawks remotely during breakfast and was “doing a lot better.”
■ The Jayhawks will face No. 7 Texas (25-8), which beat No. 22 TCU 66-60, in Saturday’s championship game.
SEC: In Nashville, Tenn., Brandon Miller had 18 points and nine rebounds and Alabama never trailed in a 72-49 quarterfinal victory over Mississippi State in the quarterfinals.
The top-seeded Crimson Tide (275) set the pace in the first half, hitting 8 of 20 shots from long range. Tolu Smith led Mississippi State (2112) with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Dashawn Davis scored 13 points.
■ Alabama will face No. 25 Missouri in the semifinals on Saturday. The Tigers’ Nick Honor hit a 3-pointer with 1:45 left to put Missouri ahead to stay in a 79-71 win over No. 17 Tennessee.
■ Also in Nashville, Wade Taylor scored 18 points and No. 18 Texas A&M rallied from a 13-point deficit early in the second half to beat Arkansas 67-61 in the quarterfinals.
Texas A&M (24-8) advanced for the second straight year to the semifinals, where it will face Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Aggies lost to Tennessee in the 2022 championship game.
Henry Coleman III had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Texas A&M. Dennis Dexter and Radford each added 11 points.
Nick Smith led Arkansas (20-13) with 16 points and Makhi Mitchell finished with 15.
■ In the nightcap, Ezra Manjon scored 25 points and Vanderbilt rallied from an early 10-point deficit to beat Kentucky.
Antonio Reeves led Kentucky with 22 points. Jacob Toppin had 21 points, while Oscar Tshiebwe had 19 points
BIG TEN: In Chicago, Mason Gillis had 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting, and No. 5 Purdue held off Rutgers 70-65 in the quarterfinals.
Purdue will face Ohio State in the semifinals on Saturday.
Derek Simpson scored 18 points for Rutgers (19-14). Cam Spencer had 13 points, and Clifford Omoruyi finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.
BIG EAST: In New York, Tyler Kolek and David Joplin each scored 17 points, and No. 6 Marquette moved into the Big East championship game for the first time by holding off No. 11 UConn 70-68.
The top-seeded Golden Eagles (27-6) opened a four-point lead on a 3-pointer by Olivier-Maxence Prosper with 3:39 left and then held on at raucous Madison Square Garden.
UConn (25-8) had a chance to tie or win in the final seconds, but coach Dan Hurley elected not to call a timeout as his team brought the ball across halfcourt. Jordan Hawkins missed badly on a contested, desperation 3 at the buzzer.
Marquette will face 15th-ranked Xavier (25-8), which routed No. 24 Creighton 82-60 in the other Big East semifinal.
ACC: In Greensboro, N.C.,Kyle Filipowski had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Jeremy Roach hit a huge 3-pointer at the 1:32 mark and No. 21 Duke held off No. 14 Miami 85-78 in the semifinals.
The fourth-seeded Blue Devils (258) closed out their eighth straight win and earned their 17th trip to the title game in the past 25 tournaments.
They’ll play No. 13 Virginia (25-6), a 76-56 winner ove Clemson.
PAC-12: In Las Vegas, Nev., Tyger Campbell scored a career-high 28 points, including all seven during a key second-half run, and No. 2 UCLA (29-4) beat Oregon (19-14) in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament semifinals.
The Bruins (29-4) will play No. 8 Arizona or Arizona State in Saturday’s title game.
MOUNTAIN WEST: In Las Vegas, No. 20 San Diego State (26-6) earned a spot in Saturday’s MWC title game with a 64-49 victory over San Jose State (20-13).
The Aztecs will play either Boise State or Utah State for the title.
FIRED: Josh Pastner was fired Friday as Georgia Tech’s basketball coach, two seasons after he guided the Yellow Jackets to a surprising Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title.
Pastner was dumped after seven seasons at the school in midtown Atlanta, his fate sealed by a second straight losing season and few signs of progress in a program that was once a national powerhouse.